MEERUT: Three masked men riding a scooter looted ₹64 lakh at gunpoint from a Rajasthan-based rice trader near GS Medical College on the busy National Highway-9 in the Pilkhuwa area of Hapur district. The incident marks the second major highway robbery at the same location in the past 45 days.
The victim, Rakesh Rajput, a resident of Sikar, had arrived in Hapur on Saturday to collect money from his business partner, Vaibhav Shukla. He was returning to Delhi with the cash when, around 3.30 pm, the robbers intercepted his vehicle.
According to police, one of the assailants fired a shot in the air to intimidate the trader before snatching two bags containing ₹64 lakh. The suspects then fled the scene on their scooter.
Senior police officials, including Additional Director General Bhanu Bhaskar and Deputy Inspector General Kalanidhi Naithani, visited the spot and ordered a fast-tracked investigation. “Footage from more than 200 CCTV cameras installed on highways, toll plazas, and nearby areas has been examined so far. Eight police teams are working on the case,” Bhaskar said on Sunday.
Police also suspended three personnel, including the station house officer of Pilkhuwa police station, for alleged dereliction of duty.
Second Incident in 45 Days
This was the second such robbery in the area in less than two months. On December 15, criminals travelling in a car and on a bike had pushed an accountant of a sugar trader, Ajay Pal, off his motorcycle on the Saraswati Medical College flyover and looted ₹85 lakh after injuring him with a knife.
In that case, police later identified eight suspects using CCTV footage and arrested them. However, only ₹68 lakh was recovered from the accused.
Ongoing Investigation
With repeated incidents at the same stretch of the highway, concerns have been raised over security and patrolling on NH-9. Police officials said intensified surveillance and deployment have been ordered to prevent further crimes.
Investigations into the latest robbery are ongoing, and authorities are hopeful of identifying the culprits through CCTV footage and technical evidence.
